racy of the soil
(dated) Deeply connected to the land; rural or rustic; earthy.
ˈɹeɪsi ˈʌv ðə ˈsɔɪlDocumented since 1840sSilenthistorical139 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
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Born ~1842 · no dated citations yet19th centurySee decade cohort →
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#1·Apr 27, 2026
(dated) Deeply connected to the land; rural or rustic; earthy.
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#2·Apr 27, 2026
(usually, Irish, dated) Deeply connected to a place, especially Ireland; indigenous.
Origin: See racy senses 2 and 3. Popularised in Ireland in the slogan of The Nation (1842–1900) — "To create and foster public opinion in Ireland, and to make it racy of the soil" — adapted from a remark by Stephen Woulfe on the Irish Municipal Reform Bill. Similar earlier phrases were used by William Drennan in Letters of Orellana in 1785, and by Thomas Babington Macaulay in 1831. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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